


I Lost My Way and Found You

by NekoIzumi



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, BAMF Stiles, Bottom Derek Hale, Derek and Stiles are Mates, Future Fic, Happy Ending, Hurt Derek, M/M, Scared Derek, Scott is a potato, Stiles Takes Care Of Derek, Top Stiles Stilinski, Very Mild Gore, not really canon though it tries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-21
Updated: 2014-08-21
Packaged: 2018-02-14 02:23:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2174451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoIzumi/pseuds/NekoIzumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek hurried down the street, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t followed, but otherwise was completely focused on where he was going and not running into anyone while getting there. He was so close, oh so very close now, and he knew that just a few more minutes and he'd see him again. Him, the one he hadn’t seen in years and now… so close!</p>
<p>He pushed the heavy front door open hurrying inside the foyer, absentmindedly registering magic buzzing around him as he did so. Knowing what to look for he saw his wards everywhere, tiny tiny marks, runes, symbols carved and written where he knew no one would look for them and Derek made sure to touch them all, to let the wards know he wasn’t there to harm. The magic accepted his presence, greeted him even but was still wary and ready to zap him to the Himalayas in the blink of an eye should it be needed. The wolf wasn’t worried, he was much too focused on the elevator making its way higher and why the hell did it move so slowly!? When he was finally on the right floor, high up above the noisy city outside, he rushed up to the right door and-… hesitated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Lost My Way and Found You

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer; I don’t own Teen Wolf, I don’t want to. Neither do I profit from writing this fic.
> 
> I do NOT give permission for anyone to put my works on Goodreads or any such similar place. Thank you.

Derek hurried down the street, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t followed, but otherwise was completely focused on where he was going and not running into anyone while getting there. He was so close, oh so very close now, and he knew that just a few more minutes and he'd see _him_ again. _Him_ , the one he hadn’t seen in _years_ and now… so _close_!

 

He pushed the heavy front door open hurrying inside the foyer, absentmindedly registering magic buzzing around him as he did so. Knowing what to look for he saw _his_ wards everywhere, tiny tiny marks, runes, symbols carved and written where _he_ knew no one would look for them and Derek made sure to touch them all, to let the wards know he wasn’t there to harm. The magic accepted his presence, greeted him even but was still wary and ready to zap him to the Himalayas in the blink of an eye should it be needed. The wolf wasn’t worried, he was much too focused on the elevator making its way higher and why the hell did it move so slowly!? When he was finally on the right floor, high up above the noisy city outside, he rushed up to the right door and-… hesitated.

 

He was-… scared. Terrified even because he didn’t even know if he was welcome here, if he'd be let in and if he wasn’t… there was nowhere else for him to go after this. This was the first and last, the _only_ place, he had thought of running to and now that he was here… what would he do if he was told to leave? No, he'd been a coward for far too long, it had to stop, he had to at least-

He knocked a prompt few times before he could think another thought more and waited, his heart beating a hundred miles a minute. He heard noise from the inside, heard steps, a soft voice… and then bottomless honey brown eyes met hazel green. Derek felt his heart ache when Stiles just stood there, looking at him without betraying a single emotion. Years ago the younger man would’ve flailed, talked, done _something_ but the man in front of him was a long cry from the boy that had once been.

 

But then Stiles took a step aside without a word, opening the door wider to let him in and Derek found himself standing just inside the apartment, a luxurious loft with a balcony bragging with a breath-taking view of the city. He stood there, sopping wet and dripping onto exquisite hardwood flooring, feeling how the scent of _Stiles_ made him lightheaded because this is where he belonged, where he wanted to be and he had been such a fool for so long for _not getting it_ sooner and wasting so much time. He was simply grateful that he had been let in at all.

“Shoes off.”

He toed the boots off without a word, watching how the Stilinski disappeared into another room for a minute. The loft had a high ceiling, giving the open living room and kitchen a warm inviting air what with the raw concrete of the walls and soft colours of the furniture, accentuated by splashes of bright red, green and blue on pillows and glass bottles and other accessories. It was a home that was gentle on the soul and calming for the mind, it was a _home_ , something Derek hadn’t had since the last time he left Beacon Hills, if even then. Gods, how stupid he had been. No wonder his uncle always said Derek was daft, the old fart had always been right… still was, wherever he was right now, fighting his own war. Assuming he was still alive that is, Derek wasn’t sure anymore.

 

He blinked when Stiles returned, a soft and fluffy bath sheet in hand… but Stiles didn’t hand it to him. Instead it ended up between his knees as pale hands rose to his shoulders, slowly as if not to spook him, to push the wet heavy leather off and let it fall to the floor in a loud splat. Still not saying anything the younger man moved to grab the Henley Derek wore, as wet as everything else, and pushed it up, pulling it off when the wolf obediently raised his arms to aid him. Only then did he take the bath sheet, shake it out and oh so gently wrap it around Derek's trembling shoulders. His eyes were warm when he sank to his knees, making quick work of belt, button and zipper, pulling the pants down and off along with the underwear, letting warm hands slide socks off while being at it. Once done he rose to his feet and nodded towards the couch in front of the open fireplace, boots and wet fabric bunched up in his hands. “Sit down.” he said softly, easy on Derek's exhausted mind. “Minx,” he murmured, already on his way to the laundry room. “Warm him up, he's a walking meat icicle.”

 

At first Derek was confused. Minx? Did Stiles have a lover? If he had Derek didn’t know what he'd do with himself, what would he do? He had nowhere else-… he blinked when a large silver coloured Siberian cat soundlessly jumped up on the couch and without further ado claimed his lap and started purring loudly. The cat was nothing if not a furry furnace and Derek gratefully held it close, letting the warmth seep into him along with the scent of _Stiles_ that permeated the entire loft and everything in it, including the cat. If he was allowed to stay for long enough, he'd smell like Stiles too. Hopefully.

 

He flinched when Stiles sat down next to him, as soundless on his feet as the cat had been, put a downright ridiculously big mug of hot steaming tea down on the sofa table… and gently started rubbing Derek's hair dry with a soft towel. Everything he did to Derek was gentle and careful, like he was scared of hurting him when he was the fragile human and Derek the fast-healing werewolf.

“Stopped running?” His voice was low, soothing to sensitive ears, as his hands continued rubbing, gently gently, one hand cupping a stubbled jaw while the other worked on the soft hair in his neck and behind his ear.

 

Derek couldn’t take any more of this kindness, he crumbled, hugging the cat closer, successfully earning louder purrs.

“I'm sorry!” he croaked, unable to meet warm whiskey coloured eyes. “I'm so sorry! I'll-, I'll _crawl_ back to Scott, I promise, just _please_ , Stiles, let me stay with you! I don’t care if I become a Beta or an Omega, I shouldn’t have gone with them, please just let me stay, at least for a while! I beg you!” His voice cracked then but he didn’t care at all. He had learnt the hard way that dignity and ego hadn’t brought him where he wanted to be, if anything, it had taken from him the one thing that had ever mattered. Desperate he looked up to face the only person that had ever really mattered.

 

Five years earlier Derek had left Beacon Hills once and for all. He was tired of constantly living in the middle of battle, in a never-ending war that kept him hyper vigilant and unable to ever truly relax because as soon as he did, something happened and he ended up running or fighting. It had been a long time since Beacon Hills had been home to him and he had so many bad memories from there that he wanted out, he just wanted… _out_. He had been such a fool really. He had gone with another Alpha pack, not one out for power, but rather one that travelled around to make sure the established packs were strong and kept to the Code as not to harm innocent humans and therefore attract Hunters. It had gone well for a few years… until the leader had been brutally taken out and the new one took over and ruled with an iron fist. He was corrupted, more interested in getting stronger and more powerful rather than respecting the responsibilities that came with the position and he had killed whoever stood in his way. Derek had planned his escape for months while he suffered through humiliation and beatings and one ludicrous order after another, and once he had managed to get away from the pack he had _ran_ … he had ran to the only place he had been able to think of.

 

“You have no reason to crawl before Scott.” Stiles murmured. “He wouldn’t welcome you anyway.”

Derek swallowed hard. He was so tired of running, his wolf was so tired of running, he just wanted to lay his head down and rest and if Stiles would allow him to do that here, with him, even for a little while, he'd be so grateful. “Maybe he'd accept me in his territory if you asked him? Please?” he pressed out. He hadn’t been above begging for a long time and this was _Stiles_. Who cared? Derek certainly didn’t, not anymore.

“I haven’t been part of Scott's pack for years.” Stiles replied lowly. “We had a really bad fallout and haven’t spoken in just as long.”

That Derek hadn’t been prepared for. “…what happened?”

 

“After Scott got bit he changed a lot from how he used to be, you know? On his own the major hero complex that had been brewing under the surface developed into full out furore, like he was going to save the fucking world and everything was on his shoulders but he could do anything _because he was a True Alpha_.” Stiles snorted. “He changed, and not necessarily for the better. That didn’t really improve after you left and without you there to help him and guide him and with Peter being crazier than ever, things just plain went to shit in Beacon Hills.” the Stilinski sighed heavily. “One battle after another, stray Omegas coming out of the woodworks, rogue Hunters, he gave a few people the Bite so his pack is a bit bigger now, and stable as far as I know. He's at a steady armistice with the Argents, he's got Lydia for his emissary, he's got Isaac, Liam, Jackson and Danny, he's a wolf too now, and Deaton… it’s just that it’s never a quiet moment, it’s always the calm before the storm. There's always something out to kill you and I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“So you left, is that why?”

 

“No, that’s not why.” Stiles gaze softened, his hands stilling over the damp towel. “He wanted to move on without you while I refused to stop waiting for your return. I always knew you'd come back sooner or later, that you were important, but Scott refused to listen, he refused to have anything to do with you and I… just couldn’t accept that. Not after all the things you had done for him, for us. He resents you for something that wasn’t your fault while at the same time reaping all the benefits of being a werewolf, cursing the Bite on one hand and being so damn full of himself because of all the abilities it gave him on the other. And I just couldn’t take that hypocrisy anymore. It made me gag.”

 

Wide hazel green eyes stared at him, afraid to believe.

“You-…” His voice cracked like a badly tuned radio. “You waited for me to come back to you?”

“I knew it would take a while before that happened so I went out into the world, got stronger, learned what I could. Then I settled down and waited for you to come home.” Stiles shrugged leaning aside to take the cup and hand it to the speechless Alpha. “Drink. I know it’s sickeningly sweet but it'll do you good and warm you up properly. Thankfully you can’t catch a cold but I'm not willing to take the risk.”

“Can I stay? Is this home?” Derek whispered… earning the softest of smiles and a gentle kiss to his temple when Stiles rose to his feet to go hang up the towel to dry.

“Why do you think my wards let you inside?” he murmured. “I've always had your back, you just didn’t know it. As for this apartment, it’s just a place I use, when you're strong enough I'll take you _home_.”

 

Derek was ashamed of the low sob he couldn’t hold back. He had come here hoping for a lumpy couch and some crumbs but what had been waiting for him, had _always_ been waiting for him, was a soft warm bed and a hot meal. He had been running around in circles and it wasn’t until he stopped running that he finally saw what had always been there. The relief that washed over him tore more sobs from him, his shoulders feeling lighter than they had since before the fire that fucked his life up once and for all. Strong arms wrapped around him though, holding him to a firm chest tightly, one hand drifting up to rest buried in black tresses of untamed hair.

“Shhhh…” Stiles murmured, whispered, over a sensitive ear. “You’re safe now, they can’t harm you here, not anymore. I'll make sure of it, Derek, you're safe.” His voice was warm and mellow, nothing like the energized brat he'd met in the woods so long ago. “I've got you.”

 

He murmured and hummed and soothed until the sobs died out and only trembles remained, holding the wolf close to share space and warmth and scent. Silently he urged the Alpha to sip the warm tea, held the cup steady when he coughed but made him finish it all soon enough to get him warm faster. Only then did he put the empty mug aside and pulled the older man fully into his embrace, sighing when strong arms wrapped around his middle while Derek nuzzled his chest with a sigh of his own.

 

“Are you hungry?” he asked some time later, his hands stroking up and down Derek's back, shoulders and neck in gentle circles. “I've got a stir-fry that'll take 2 minutes to heat up and I get the feeling you haven’t had a proper meal in a long time.”

“Don’t leave.” came the low answer.

Stiles chuckled, tightening his grip a little but then got out from under the Hale.

“I'm not going anywhere, trust me. Just getting some food for you, besides, Minx has taken a liking to you.”

 

The cat in question had squeezed herself down between Derek and the couch, lack of space be damned, and purred loudly when the wolf scratched her behind the ears. She was loud like a lawnmower while pawing at the cushions.

“She’s not scared of me, animals usually are… and cats in particular.”

“Minx isn’t your average pussycat.” Stiles shrugged, putting a generous serving of stir-fry in the microwave oven and turning it on. “Also, if I tell her to do something she will.”

“Shape shifter?”

“Do you mean is she a formidable opponent in battle, then the answer is yes.” the Stilinski chuckled, fishing up a spoon from a drawer and pouring some cucumber water in a glass from a pitcher in the fridge. A minute later the oven dinged and he put plate, glass and utensil in front of the Alpha with a little smile. “Where I go she’ll follow, that’s how things are. That’s what I got from saving her as a kitten and we’re both quite happy with each other.”

 

Derek was starving, he hadn’t eaten in days, but ate slowly not to choke. He also moved closer to Stiles on the couch until their sides were pressing against each other and Minx no longer fitted behind him. She moved with a huff, claiming the Stilinski's lap instead where pale fingers continued where Derek had left off. And yet, despite the warmth, the calm, Derek couldn’t quite relax. His wolf paced, snarling, antsy and constantly moving. They weren’t safe, Stiles wasn’t safe, they had to-…

“Calm down, Sourwolf.” Stiles murmured after a few minutes, one of his hands stroking through black hair. “They can’t touch either of us, not in here.”

 

For reasons Derek wasn’t entirely sure of Stiles’ soothing words actually worked. He calmed down, his wolf calmed down, returned to the back of his mind where it settled to rest, trusting the other to be true to his word. And suddenly he was exhausted, he could barely keep his eyes open. And Stiles, wonderful precious Stiles, knew without asking.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed.” He put the empty plate on the table for later and helped the drowsy wolf to his feet, leading him up the stairs to the bathroom. “Brush your teeth and get ready in there, I'll fetch a pyjama for you.”

 

When the door closed behind Stiles a few minutes later, Derek looked himself in the mirror. He looked like shit, there was no other way to put it really. He was dirty, the state of the bath sheet sure said as much, his hair was a mess and he stank. He had also lost weight and looked more haunted than ever. He closed his eyes from the image and just breathed. With every deep breath he inhaled more of Stiles, more of safe and home and right. Derek sincerely didn’t care if he lost his status as Alpha or not, he was a lone wolf so it was only a matter of time anyway, not as long as he got to keep this scent in his nose and mind. As long as he got to keep the source. Fuck, he didn’t care if he turned into a goddamn lapdog as long as he got to stay next to Stiles, Stiles, Stiles, Stiles… it was almost humiliating how blind he had been all this time, because where Derek had always been thinking of revenge, of power, of _anger_ , of anything else but the future it seemed, Stiles had never lost focus and always kept an eye on the prize. _Him_.

 

Refusing to succumb to crying a second time Derek opened the bathroom cabinet… and stared. Everything he needed was there, just waiting for him to use it. A toothbrush waited for him in his half of the cabinet, along with a shaving kit, other toiletries and a hair brush. Even the hair product he used to use before he left Beacon Hills was there. A glance towards the pyjama told him they weren’t Stiles’ either, they were too big to be Stiles’… which meant it had all been laying around, in preparation for his return… and wasn’t that a kick to his gut. Sucking in a deep breath, Derek got in the shower and grabbed the body wash to get clean. He stood there a lot longer than he had intended and when he finally got out, weeks of filth at long last off of him, his fingertips were pruned. He got rid of the beard, trimmed it to the stubble he was comfortable with and favoured, brushed his teeth and put the PJ on, noting the soft fabric. When he opened the door the apartment was dark, the only light source a bedside lamp turned on to lend the Stilinski just enough light to read and the faint glow from the embers.

 

There was no guestroom, no spare bed, the couch held no pillows or blankets… but Stiles’ bed was positively humongous and the other half of the duvet was turned down invitingly.

“If you'd rather sleep on the couch I'll make it for you.” Stiles eyed him calmly. “I'm not forcing you to anything. Whatever you're most comfortable with, Derek.”

His name rolling off the Stilinski's tongue kicked the wolf out of his daze and he padded up to the bed on light feet, hesitantly getting in under the covers to rest his head on the pillow. It earned him a little smile. “Sleep. You need it.”

 

Without asking Derek moved closer, wrapping his arms around the younger man’s middle. He rested his head on Stiles’ chest and sighed deeply when a hand immediately came up to slide through his hair. “Can I have this always?” he murmured, not bothering with opening his eyes.

“You want it this way?”

“Yes, I want you.”

“You don’t think I'm creepy for having prepared your space in my life already?” Stiles chuckled softly. “What with the clothes and all?”

“No, not creepy. “ Derek sighed. “Caring.” He was so very tired and now that he was safe he knew he'd crash, was crashing, but it was okay. He was safe and Stiles was here and his heartbeat was slow and steady. That’s all he needed. The last thing he heard before sleep claimed him was a whispered ‘ _loving’_ over the pouring rain against the window panes.

 

-

 

He ended up sleeping for nearly three days, only waking up long enough to scarf down whatever Stiles served him and use the bathroom. He was still tired when he woke up the third day but not in the same exhausted-tired-of-life-way that he'd been surviving the past weeks, months. Now he was more tired in that way you felt after a really heavy workout. He felt… nice, and a little groggy when he sat up in the large bed and looked around the apartment. The downpour hadn’t stopped yet, if anything it had gotten worse, painting the windows with raindrops and grey clouds outside. The apartment though was warm, the open fireplace crackling invitingly, spreading a warm golden glow in the room. Next to him Minx stretched out, claws coming out and retracting a few times while she yawned, licking her chops lazily. She took one glance at him, saw he was awake, and started purring again, earning a little smile and an awkward scratch behind the ears.

“Stiles?”

No answer. Feeling a little worried Derek got out of bed, frowning when he saw the note on the fridge.

_‘Grocery run. Will be back soon. S.’_

 

That if anything didn’t calm Derek down. He knew what was out there, knew he'd been followed here, knew they were merely waiting for him to come out so they could grab him because while Derek was a lone Alpha, he was one of the strongest ones from the old Alpha pack. They needed him for the power he'd give the others.

He blinked when Minx, obviously fed up with his lack of attention, simply flopped down in a graceful heap in his lap the second he plunked his ass down and loudly demanded petting. She stared judgingly at him until he got the message and started stroking her over the silky fur. He also noticed that she weighted a lot more than he had given her credit for when he tried to move her. Pointless to say, Minx wasn’t going anywhere and neither was Derek Hale. Raising an eyebrow he let one hand grow claws in front of her. She wasn’t particularly impressed. Actually, she made him break into a cold sweat when she flashed him hers. He swallowed hard and obediently continued scratching, earning happy purring. What the hell was this creature?

 

Both of them blinked when the door opened and Stiles came in, carrying two heavy bags with groceries. He kicked the door shut, turned to them-… and chuckled while toeing his shoes off and hanging up his coat to dry.

“How long have you been stuck?”

“5 minutes?” Derek answered unsurely. “Maybe 10?”

“Good. I told her to distract you if you started getting antsy.” the Stilinski grinned, grabbing the bags and hauling them to the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”

“You shouldn’t have gone out without me.” Derek murmured when Minx magnanimously moved aside, a lot lighter than 2 minutes prior, so he could walk up to the younger man. “I should’ve gone with you.”

“You slept and I didn’t want to wake you.” Stiles shrugged. “Besides, you needed the rest and I can handle myself.” Warm whiskey brown eyes met worried hazel green. “Don’t worry, Sourwolf. I was very careful.”

All Derek could do was nod and be grateful nothing had happened. But there was one thing he had to ask.

“What do we do now?”

“We’re staying here until you're fully rested.” came the calm reply. “Until those bags under your eyes are gone, until your skin looks less like paper pulp and until your hands aren’t trembling anymore. _Then_ we’re going to leave here.”

“And go where?”

Stiles smiled at that and turned back to unpacking the groceries. “And then we go home.”

 

-

 

Later that night, with Minx snoring in the couch in front of the dying embers, with the apartment dark and silent apart from the never-ending pelting rain, Derek finally asked the question that had been heavy on his tongue all day long. His head was resting on Stiles’ chest, rising and falling with soft breaths, the steady thump thump under his ear soothing him and with the hand in his hair he was already getting spoilt rotten.

“Why?” he murmured. “Why did you wait for me?”

“Because you are and always will be my only Alpha, saving each other is what we do.” Stiles murmured right back. Slowly he reached down… and pressed a gentle kiss to soft black hair. “And I've loved you since I was 16. We Stilinski men aren’t much for flings, you know. We’re all or nothing.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

“Let me be the judge of that.” the younger man sighed when the wolf curled up tighter around him. “It was always you, from the moment I met you. It didn’t take me long to figure it out and once I had I didn’t mind, I just never thought you'd choose me so I didn’t bother saying anything. Especially what with Jennifer and then Braeden and stuff back then. Then we got closer and I got to know you and I knew the day you left that one day you'd come back… to _me_. All you needed was time. And so did I.”

“I feel so stupid.”

“Don’t, you’ve learnt a lot during your time away, you’ve changed, probably in ways you needed to change to start healing and I don’t think you would've gotten that in Beacon Hills… or with me there. You weren’t ready.”

“And now I am?”

“I don’t know, are you? Only you can answer that question.”

“I want so much!” Derek croaked. “I don’t think anyone can give that much.”

“What do you want?” The way Stiles asked made Derek's heart clench. Hesitantly he looked up, met honey brown eyes, saw how they looked at him… and the courage came from nowhere.

“Everything.” he said simply.

It earned him a soft smile, one of those he knew were only for him.

“That’s not much at all.”

 

Stiles’ lips when they met Derek's were soft and just a little moist, they pressed against him gently, not pushing in any way, merely moving in one slow open-mouthed kiss after another. They tasted his upper lip, then the bottom one, then pressed against his mouth softly, before a tongue fluttered against the sensitive seam, asking permission and Derek granted access with a low moan. He wanted, how he _wanted_ and this wasn’t enough, not anywhere near enough. His hands came up unbidden, whispered over firm muscle, up, up, until they ran through impossibly soft thick hair to grab and hold on and turn Stiles’ head the way he wanted. Derek deepened the kiss almost desperately, clinging to the younger man with everything he had to get more of him. He couldn’t remember how Stiles’ shirt ended up on the floor, didn’t know where his own was, had no recollection of when their PJ pants came off to leave them bare… he didn’t really care either as he rutted against the other… and pulled him on top, between his legs.

 

Stiles was already breathing hard, the deep whiskey of his eyes a mere ring around black pupils when he broke the kiss to look down at the wolf and meet hazel green eyes. “Are you sure this is the way you want it?” he panted only to groan when he couldn’t stop his hips from moving just a little. “I don’t mind if you want to-”

“No!” Derek swallowed hard. “I want you inside me, I want you to claim me, take me and make me yours.”

The younger man smiled then, kissed him softly on the lips, moving to the corner of his mouth, over his cheek and jaw where he nipped gently, down Derek's bared throat, licking, marking greedily, blowing over damp skin to earn shivers. He moved lower still, loving how responsive and sensitive the Alpha was under him but taking it slow for his own sake as much as Derek's. He nipped at a seemingly fragile collarbone, nuzzled his way down through the light dusting of dark hair where his lips found a nipple and lavished it with attention until it was a needy hard nub, only then did he move to love its twin the same. Stiles let his teeth scrape over sensitive skin here and there, earning gasps and moans and grunts, feeling fingers spasming in his hair when he dipped his tongue in Derek's bellybutton to taste it thoroughly before he followed the happy trail farther down, ignoring the place where he knew Derek wanted him most so he could bury his nose in the wolf’s loin and just breathe him in. His hands stroked everything they could reach, gently, firmly, softly, barely, whispering his nails over one patch only to press the pads of his fingers down on another. The long strong legs on either side of him were trembling long before he even reached that far.

 

Spreading them further Stiles let hot breath ghost over the sensitive flesh, scenting there, kissing, nipping carefully while moving lower… and smoothly sucking one ball into his mouth. While not shaved Derek had trimmed the hair but Stiles wouldn’t have minded either way, he liked the taste, the feel of it in his mouth, the sounds it drew from the Alpha when he sucked a tad bit harder and rolled it on his tongue. Very nearly purring he let the ball go to taste the other, moaning softly when it earned him a whine and a hint of claws in his hair. His wolf really was so wonderfully responsive. But while he would love to indulge himself and play with Derek's balls for hours, he had an agenda to get to. Releasing his treat with a low ‘pop’ he moved higher, licking his lips, already red, and reaching for the bedside drawer and the bottle there.

 

“Up.” He urged the Hale to his knees, lying down and making sure he had the lube within reach. “Straddle my chest.”

“Stiles?” Derek's voice cracked… but he did as told when pale hands grabbed his hips and moved him up higher. “Are you su- ghnnn!” All words left him when a hot mouth swallowed him down as much as it could without a single warning. Derek gritted his teeth so hard he thought he'd crack them and his fingers gripped the headboard so hard the wood splintered underneath. He didn’t notice either because that wicked mouth did things he hadn’t known were possible and warms hands ran up and down his thighs, gripping firm asscheeks to spread and let cooler air in between, only to let go and move down again. He so dearly wanted to thrust but didn’t dare. Instead he whimpered when Stiles moved off to lick at him, to suck his mouth to the shaft, tongue following veins softly only to shock him a moment later when it oh so carefully slid over the slit to tease.

“Stiles, I can’t-…” Derek's voice cracked again, his hips moving minutely. He couldn’t stop them although he tried. “I'm too-…” He hadn’t been intimate with anyone in-, he couldn’t even remember how long and this was _Stiles!_ There was no way he'd be able to hold back for long.

Stiles though didn’t seem to care particularly, instead he swallowed Derek down again and hummed.

 

Derek bit through his tongue. Nimble fingers, warm and slick, ghosted over his hole, just caressing over and over again with no real pressure and he wanted them _inside_ so badly. He moaned out loud when a fingertip slid past the tense muscle almost too easily, not much resistance when he eagerly welcomed it into his body. Closing his eyes to hold off longer Derek focused on that one digit. It moved slowly, gently, exploring him from within, grazing against that spot that made him see stars but didn’t pay it much attention and for that he was grateful. He didn’t want to come yet, it was way too soon. A groan rumbled through his chest when one finger became two and a third pressed against his rim, so close to what he wanted. That’s however where Derek's plans differed from Stiles’.

 

Hazel green eyes snapped open to meet dark whiskey brown when those two long fingers who had been moving in and out, suddenly curled down in a firm stroke. And another. Derek saw more than heard the deep breath… and nearly screamed when Stiles suddenly took him in all the way, burying that pale nose in dark hair and swallowed around him. Those wonderful fingers pressed on the inside, a thumb pressed from the outside, the other hand held his hips steady to the best of its ability… as Derek came so hard he forgot how to breathe or why he needed to in the first place. His ears were ringing by the time he managed to open his eyes, just in time to see Stiles lick up the last of his come from Derek's softening cock with kittenish little licks. The headboard was obviously ruined but Stiles clearly couldn’t have cared less. Instead he was focusing on Derek, watching him wheeze for air, watching the strong werewolf tremble with glorious aftershocks, watching him look down at him desperately needing more.

 

“Stiles… I wanted… why?” He sounded like 40 years of daily whiskey.

“Because I don’t want you to feel any pain when I slide inside you.” Stiles murmured, hoarse now after the rough treatment to his throat. While Derek had been completely out of it, riding his high and then relaxing in the afterglow, Stiles had added a third finger… and a fourth. They slid in and out easily with the added lube. “I can wait if you're too tired.”

“No!” the wolf pressed out. “Not tired.”

It earned him a little smile and a kiss to his loin. “No? Do you want me?”

“Always.”

“Then you'll have me.”

 

How he moved down again Derek isn’t sure. All he could feel was warm hands guiding him, touching and soothing… until he realised they were helping him down on his belly.

“No!” Derek swallowed hard. “I want to see you!”

Stiles didn’t say anything, only kissed his temple softly and urged him to lift his hips so he could slide a pillow in under. When he moved to the nightstand again to get a condom a trembling hand stopped him. “Is it okay to-… can you go without?”

“You want me to go bareback?”

“Yeah.” Derek felt his cheeks burn. He was so scared of annoying Stiles, of asking for too much. He couldn’t afford losing him, he'd have nothing left! “I want to smell like you, I want you to come in me.”

“Are you sure? You are the Alpha.”

“I don’t care what I am.”

“Some time,” Stiles murmured, covering the larger body with his own. “I'm going to make love to you in front of a mirror and I'm going to make you see what I see every time I look at you.” His voice was a gentle murmur over sweaty skin and Derek clung to him hard, burying his face against the other’s pulse point. “Do you get that, Sourwolf? I love you and I would've waited until the end of time for you.”

 

He didn’t give Derek the chance to answer, instead he seamlessly slid home in one soft billow of his hips, pressing a gasp out of the older man. He moved tenderly against his lover, not caring if Derek was a werewolf who could handle anything he threw at him, that wasn’t what Stiles was after. He kissed every patch of skin he could reach, kissed swollen lips, mouthed at the stubbly jawline, ran his teeth over the tendons when the wolf threw his head back to offer his throat. He burrowed his hand in under a strong shoulder to hook and hold on while the other hand stroked over damp skin to brush over ribs and muscle. Everything he had wanted to say for years he whispered now, how he had missed Derek, how he had looked forward to the day Derek was ready and came to him, how he had dreamt of touching Derek like this, of making love to him and treating him like the precious treasure he was. He whispered of love and hope and warmth and a future Derek hadn’t dared dream about. He whispered about how he was going to bring Derek home to where he belonged, with Stiles, where he'd be taken care of and protected and _loved_ … and not once did he stop moving. He smiled against the skin he was kissing, lavishing it with nips and kisses and licks and nuzzles, he made sure to thoroughly scent every inch he could reach, knowing perfectly well we was tearing Derek apart… and putting him back together, stronger than ever before.

 

He moved through Derek recovering, moved through him getting hard again, he moved in the same pace as he had been even when the wolf whined for more, for harder and faster. No, he was determined, he was going to do this slowly, he was going to indulge himself in this and show Derek that he was worth the effort. Stiles pressed out a breathless chuckle when strong arms wrapped around him and clung to him, strong legs holding him close to the trembling body underneath. Warm whiskey brown eyes watched every expression he was graced with when a pale hand slid lower to wrap long fingers around Derek's cock and stroke him leisurely, give him a fist to fuck into with every thrust of their hips. He kissed the whimper he tore from the wolf straight from his lips and swallowed it greedily.

“Come for me, Derek.” he husked out over a sensitive ear, groaning when he felt claws against his shoulder blades. He felt them sink deeper, threatening to break skin when he changed his angle just a little and rolled his hips softer. “I've got you, I'm right here.” He smiled wider when those wonderful hazel green eyes met him, so full with hope and need. “I love you, Derek, come for me.”

And Derek did.

 

His body bowed under his lover, tense with the force of orgasm hitting him right on. For a while his senses were completely muffled, he was trapped in his own body with no input and confused… then they came back online all at once to drown him in stimuli, the sheets under him felt like sandpaper, the air tasted and smelled of too many things, spots of colour danced before his eyes and his ears were ringing. He didn’t know where he was… until he realised he was anchored to reality. _Stiles._ His vision cleared right in time to see loving brown eyes glaze over and then flutter closed, the paler body still moving slow but just a little harder against him. That sinful mouth fell open on a low moan that rolled over Derek's recovering senses like warm water.

 

Derek didn’t know why he smiled but he did, seeing Stiles, _his_ Stiles, finding pleasure in him, looking at him like that, made Derek feel alive like never before. He smiled wider when Stiles met his gaze and smiled dopily right back at him, leaning down to kiss him softly, to taste that smile. He didn’t pull out though, not quite yet.

“You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that.” he rasped, his voice raw. “I've wanted to touch you for so long.”

“You never said anything.” Derek murmured, pulling Stiles down before his arms gave out. He rather liked the weight on top of him. He sighed in content, his hands sliding further up… only to tense when he saw the red on his fingers. Horror struck him when he looked down and saw deep scratches down the pale back. “Gods, Stiles, you're bleeding! I hurt you, I'm sorry, I didn’t know, I'm so sorr-”

 

“Calm down, Derek.” Stiles relaxed more to hold the struggling wolf down when he started to panic. He may or may not have used a little magic to keep the wolf pinned. “It’ll heal.” He sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. “Minx, patch me up before he runs out the door, will you?”

The cat easily jumped up on the bed, eyed her Master’s back critically… and then lapped carefully at the wounds. They healed fast enough, leaving no traces of having ever been there and once done Minx left the bed with a huff and returned to her warm spot in the couch where she promptly fell asleep again. Derek stared at her and then at the Stilinski's back, messy but unharmed. “Now,” Stiles mused, carefully sliding out with a hiss and moving off the stronger body. “Let’s take a shower, change the sheets and cuddle? What do you say?” He was up on his feet, tugging on Derek's hands before the wolf could even answer.

“Stiles…?”

“You’re not the only one who changed, you know?”

Derek decided not to bother with questions because frankly, it didn’t matter anyway. For now at least.

30 minutes later his legs were nothing short of jelly, his brain was mush and his voice was shot. But he was clean and when he was poured in bed the sheets were changed. He curled up to his lover, held just as tightly as he was holding the other, and fell asleep smiling softly. He'd never been happier.

 

-

 

The following week Derek spent in complete bliss. Now that he knew he was allowed he was insatiable for touch and he indulged himself royally and as much as he could. It wasn’t all just sex, although Stiles dragged him to bed just as often as Derek dragged Stiles there, but it was intimacy too, holding hands, cuddling, taking long hot baths together, sleeping together with their legs a tangled mess, kissing, nuzzling and scenting. Derek was touch starved. Stiles definitely didn’t mind and lavished him in touch and attention, always touching, often absentmindedly. But there sure was no lack of sex because although they spent so much time together, neither could get enough of the other. More than once they turned the stove off in the middle of cooking because they found better things to do than prepare food.

 

At the end of the week though Stiles said that it was time to leave. Under Derek's watchful eye he took out a large leather doctor bag from the closet and started packing his things in it, earning a raised eyebrow from the wolf who was once again recruited by Minx for scratching duty. She liked his claws she had decided.

“There’s no way all our stuff is going to fit in there.”

“Have you seen Disney's _‘Sword in the Stone’_ , Sourwolf?” Stiles grinned, stuffing another sweater into the bag. “This is along the same lines.”

“Does that mean I'm your Archimedes?” Derek asked dubiously when his own toiletries disappeared into the bag, quickly followed by Stiles’, and books, so many books. The Stilinski laughed out loud at that. “Wait, don’t answer that.” he cut the other off before the Stilinski could even answer.

 

But the thing was, Derek was nervous… and scared. This loft had become his sanctuary, his safe haven, now he was going back out into the world where he knew Alphas were just waiting for him to stick his neck out… and this time he was bringing Stiles with him. How was he supposed to protect Stiles if he couldn’t even protect himself? He couldn’t afford to lose Stiles!

“Calm down, love.” Stiles murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the wolf’s temple. “We’ll be fine, I promise.”

“You don’t know these guys.” the Hale pressed out. “You have no idea what they're capable of!”

“I'm not worried.” came the calm answer. “I have you and that’s all I need.”

As if that did much to soothe Derek's nerves. As a lone wolf against a pack of Alphas he was basically powerless, Alpha or not.

 

“Well, that was the last of it. The rest came with the apartment or can be left behind. We won’t need it where we’re going anyways.” Stiles closed the bag and grabbed jacket and shoes. “Come on, let’s get on the road before rush hour hits. Minx, harness.”

All Derek could do was put his own boots and jacket on along with the thick warm scarf Stiles insisted on, and grab the bag. Having closed the door behind them he linked his fingers with Stiles’, watching the elevator needle slowly turn towards G. Taking a deep breath he stepped out, making sure not to accidentally step on the cat trotting between them, her lead in Stiles’ other hand. “I've got a car waiting in a garage around the block, we’ll go there and then leave the city.”

 

The presence of other Alphas slammed into him the second he stepped through the front door of the building. Next to him Stiles wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Seriously, considering how sensitive werewolf senses are one would think they would be more interested in keeping cleaner than other critters. One of the Alphas probably hasn’t showered in weeks!”

“How do you even know that?”

“I know we’re watched from across the street and I know they’ve tried entering the building, on multiple occasions during your stay, which didn’t end well for one of them.” came the calm answer. A chilling edge entered the usually soft voice. “I've kept tabs on the pack you ran with, Derek, I know who they are and what they're doing, I know why they followed you here and I know when they arrived.” Whiskey brown eyes, full of steel, met stunned hazel green. “But here and no further. Minx protects me and I protect you, between the two of us they'd need an army of Alphas to take us down… and that’s after they’ve managed to get past my wards.”

“Your spark…?” His question earned him a downright filthy smile.

 

“You’ve changed, Stiles.”

 

“No, not really, or at least not much. I still talk too much, I still play games and joke around and think way too much about sex.” Stiles grinned widely… but then shrugged. “When I realised I wasn’t strong enough to be with you, to protect you, after you left I did something about it. Let’s be honest, Deaton taught me squat, so I went and found someone who could teach me at least something. I found a Mentor and when he asked me why I wanted to learn I told him everything.” Serious eyes met wide hazel green. “I told him I loved a werewolf, I told him I wanted to protect and care for that werewolf because he had lost so much already and I wanted him to lose no more, me included. He told me I may not be strong enough to learn that much, that my spark was too weak…” Stiles shrugged again. “So I asked him to teach me what he could because what few tools he'd allow me would be more than I already had to get to where I was going. Turns out, _spark_ doesn’t quite cover it.” He winked at the stunned Hale. “Everything I went through I went through for you, while I kept my ear to the rails for any news about your Alpha pack. I even know where Peter is and what he's up to these days. My network has long tendrils that reach the darkest waters.”

 

“Why am I not surprised by that?”

“Because you know me well, Sourwolf.” Stiles smiled, squeezing his hand a little. “You were there when I first learnt about things that go bump in the night and I think neither of us will ever forget the whole Nogitsune-debacle.” He winced mentioning it. “Let’s just say that I made damn sure I couldn’t easily be possessed again when I got the chance. It was the first of my priorities, turn my mind into Fort Knox then arm myself up to my teeth.”

“And did you?”

Stiles gave him a quick side-glance. “Arm myself?”

“…yeah?” Derek's unsure question earned him a little chuckle and a shrug.

“Well, I've got Minx for one.” came the low quip. “And I have a helluva lot more than just mountain ash and a bat these days. This way.”

 

They quickly entered an underground garage and once again Derek felt the light buzz of magic in the air. Stiles sure had been prepared, he had known how to hide and how to protect himself… but would it be enough? Derek's grip on the pale hand in his tightened because he had spotted more than two Alphas already during their walk to the garage alone. It had his wolf bristling, his hackles rising. He knew there'd be bloodshed and he couldn’t avoid it. Still off in his own thoughts he blinked comically when they stopped in front of Stiles’ car.

“That’s not the jeep.” he blurted before he could think of anything else to say.

“Sadly, my beloved jeep had to retire to the scrapyard not long after you left.” Stiles sighed, popping the boot to the brand new rebel blue Volvo XC90. Some things obviously never change. “And this baby can take a hit like you wouldn’t believe. There's some really trustworthy Swedish technology in here let me tell you.” he grinned while the Hale put the leather bag in the back. “I would've gone for another jeep or even a land rover but land rovers aren’t really famous for being reliable and it felt wrong to replace my old one like that so Volvo it is. There's a backpack in the backseat with what we need for a few hours, then we’ll have to stop and buy food and drinks for the rest of our journey.”

 

“Assuming you're going anywhere.” a smug voice came at them from behind a parked Mercedes. Another four wolves appeared silently but while Derek immediately tensed up, prepared to fight, Stiles wasn’t much worried at all. If anything, he didn’t look impressed in the slightest. The woman who had spoken raised an eyebrow at him but he merely shrugged.

“I wouldn’t come any closer if I were you.” he warned, reaching down to take the harness off of Minx and absentmindedly throw it in the car before closing the boot. “Also, I’d be really grateful if you, you know, just stepped aside and let me leave with my Alpha, preferably without scratching my car.”

The other wolves laughed out loud, mocking Derek as if he was some kept pet rather than the strong werewolf he actually was.

“Cute.” the woman mused. “Derek, you sure changed crowd, didn’t you?”

“I wouldn’t underestimate him just because he's human.” the Hale ground out. “I did come to him for a reason.”

“And what could that reason possibly be?” another of the wolves’ chuckled. “Mountain ash won’t protect you forever.”

“Do you see any mountain ash?” Stiles suddenly smiled sweetly, unnerving every werewolf there, including Derek. “When I was 16 and didn’t know what the fuck I was doing I still managed to take down wolves on my own.” Stiles’ smile sent chills down several spines and for a moment Derek had a horrible flashback to a time when Stiles was too strong, too powerful, too evil. He would never forget how the Stilinski had easily thrown him off and defeated him back when that vile nogitsune had possessed him. The smile he smiled now reminded all too much of what had happened back then. “That was a long time ago and I do know what I'm doing _now_. Minx.”

 

The cat that had been sitting calmly by his feet suddenly stepped forward, grew, changed… and revealed a true form that Derek never would've been able to guess hid underneath the silky fur and loud happy purring. At the same time as she hissed at the three wolves closest to her, Stiles calmly turned to the remaining two Alphas, both of whom had backed off to not get caught up in the fight already having broken out.

 

The Stilinski moved so fast neither of them saw it, one moment he was leaning against the car, the next he was right up in the woman’s face, grinning while pressing a piece of paper to her chest and murmuring a few low words that Derek couldn’t even begin to decipher. Just as suddenly as he had attacked her he stepped back. The other wolf wasn’t entirely sure what to do, he stared at the little paper with the odd chicken scratch on just as befuddled as his pack mate… only to step back in horror when the little slip suddenly caught fire and burned itself onto the screaming woman’s chest. She writhed on the ground, clawing at something that was no longer there and the burn injury left behind wouldn’t heal! More screams echoed through the garage, screams from wolves getting torn to pieces by a humongous two-headed beast of a feline, followed by the sick gurgling sound of someone desperately trying to breathe through a torn out windpipe. That noise soon died out too, leaving only the woman left who was wheezing for air on the floor. Her wounds weren’t healing and as the Alpha watched in utter dread, he saw how she kept on bleeding, how the wounds grew larger and deeper, how the life drained from her eyes until only a lifeless mangled body remained.

 

“Now you're probably wondering why you're untouched, don’t you?” Stiles cocked his head a bit to the side, completely unaffected by the sight of carnage around him. Minx was looking at him curiously, waiting for orders and already bored with the remains of the other Alphas’ that no longer moved when she poked at them. Her fur was too thick to claw or bite through and with the long barbed tail and the terrifying claws that Derek had only seen hints of before, she was indeed the formidable opponent Stiles had said she was. Her fangs were like kitchen knives… and with two heads she had two sets of them too! She sat to clean herself while keeping sharp ears focused on her Master.

 

The Alpha tried to run but to his abject horror he found he was unable to move as much as a finger. He was trapped where he was standing as the Stilinski sauntered up to him bored for all the world knew. “Ah ah a~ah, don’t bother trying. I have this entire garage littered in runes and I can trigger them at will, which is why you're not going anywhere, you happen to be standing right under one too so it’s all the stronger. So. Why _are_ you still alive? I bet you're wondering now, aren’t you? Don’t worry, mutt, I won’t touch a hair on your head because I've got a little task for you.” Stiles leaned closer to the other man, looking him straight in the eyes… and smiled. “You’re going to slink back to where you came from and you're going to tell that little Alpha you follow that if he messes with my important people, he messes with _me_. You're going to go back to him and tell him that if he wants war, _bring it on_. I'll show him just who he thinks he's fucking with and I'll crush him like I've crushed those coming at me before him. Derek Hale is off limits, he belongs to _me_ , Stiles Stilinski. Got that?”

The Alpha had no choice but to press out a hoarse ‘got it!’, scrambling back and fleeing the second the invisible bounds disappeared.

 

Stiles watched him run with narrowed eyes, making sure the wolf really did leave before turning to a wide-eyed Hale with a shrug. “Well, that was surprisingly anticlimactic.” he muttered, kicking the woman’s boot clad foot out of the way on his way back to the car. “Let’s see if that former leader of yours have any brains or not. If he does, he’ll aim for some other poor schmuck instead of you, because I'm pretty sure that guy just now wet his pants not 2 minutes ago.” Ignoring the absolutely dumbshot Alpha, Stiles sighed at the mess around him. Minx, now back to her smaller form, was still partially covered in gore but didn’t seem too bothered about it. “You need a bath, princess.” he glared at her when she only purred in response. “I'm not having you tracking blood and innards all over my leather seats so I'm putting a blanket on the seat before you get in the car.” He was already digging through the leather bag in the boot while muttering to himself and how he actually found a blanket in that thing amongst all the other stuff he had put in there was more than Derek could comprehend. He blinked when the younger man opened the door on the left side of the car and leaned in to cover the entire seat properly with the dark fabric, all the while muttering low profanities. He obviously hadn’t expected the cat to enjoy the fight as much as she had. “What are you waiting for? Get in.”

 

“Uh…” Derek eloquently pressed out, looking around at what was nothing short of a gruesome battlefield. “Are we just going to leave it like this?”

Stiles snorted, already getting in behind the wheel. “Don’t be ridiculous, of course not. Just get in already so we can go.”

“But what about the-”

“Derek,” the Stilinski sighed. “This is a big city, a very big city. Do you seriously think there are no other supernatural critters here?”

“So you're just going to leave this mess after all? For the police to find?”

“The police won’t have anything to find. _Get in_ and I'll explain it to you.”

 

Unsurely Derek got in the car… and had barely buckled his seatbelt when a motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He stared as more and more of the tiny creatures poured in from seemingly everywhere, immediately aiming for the remains of the Alphas. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was staring at to be honest but Stiles wasn’t concerned as he put the car in reverse and carefully pulled out of the space.

“What-… _are_ those things? What is _Minx_?”

“Minx is a _Cath Palug_ and have you never wondered why humans so rarely find remains of supernatural creatures when so many live in big cities like this one?” Stiles offered the wolf a soft little smile, the ice cold steel from before nowhere to be seen, while leaving the garage and joining traffic towards the highway. “Those guys, back there, they're basically the cleaning crew. Whenever something nonhuman dies, they're there to feed. It’s the magic that lures them in, that they feed off of, that’s why they don’t touch humans. By now there's probably nothing left but bones and in a few minutes there won’t be a single trace whatsoever of there ever having happened anything in that parking garage. It'll be completely spotless.”

“I've never seen them before.”

“They only live in the city where there's enough to eat. Surprisingly Beacon Hills is too small, even with the chronic shit that goes down there.” Stiles shrugged, indicating right. “I've benefitted from them before. Astonishingly few people can take no for an answer and there're a lot of covens in this town, among other things. And you never had a reason to get to see them during your stay in NYC.”

 

“You didn’t let me fight.” Derek said lowly a good while later when they were finally on the highway, heading west. “I felt it, you used the same thing on me as you did on that Alpha.” He swallowed hard. “Why?”

“Because you fucking suck at close combat and I don’t ever want to see you hurt again.” came the straight answer, much like a slap in the face. “That fight wasn’t yours either, it was mine.” Stiles glanced at him quickly. “That was me making a statement, for more than one reason. That was me claiming you as _my_ Alpha, one that _I'm_ willing to fight for and that’s the message that guy is going to return with to his leader. It’s going to make him think twice before coming after you again and even if he does, he's going to be weaker because I wiped out four of his Alphas already. _I_ need to protect _you_ , Derek, and if I have to keep you immobile for a few minutes then so be it.”

“Don’t do it again… please. I don’t like being restrained.”

Stiles hummed, changing lanes, but smiled when he nodded.

“Got it, I won’t.” He didn’t say that if Derek's life was on the line he _would_ break that promise though, but only then. He could promise that much.

A few more minutes passed in silence, only interrupted by Minx’s purring from the backseat and the sound of traffic.

“So where are we heading?”

“Haven’t I told you already, Sourwolf? We’re going _home._ ”

 

-

 

Two days of driving later and Derek woke up when the Volvo hit a pothole in the road as Stiles turned right, off the main road onto a smaller gravel road leading into a leafy forest. He graced the confused wolf with a secretive little smile when the Alpha looked out the window, hazel green eyes widening when they came around a corner… and a huge yellow house came into view. Through the white door with the stained glass window people poured out, greeting the Stilinski with waves, loud cheers and happy smiles. Another few minutes later and the car stopped, Stiles jumping out to greet the group of people waiting for him, hugging them all, laughing and kissing cheeks and having his own cheeks kissed and rubbed.

 

Silently they all turned to the new addition when Derek awkwardly got out of the car, his legs tingling with needles and pins after Minx had decided to sleep in his lap during the drive. He swallowed hard, feeling very vulnerable and outnumbered… because almost all of these people were wolves. They didn’t see him as a threat though, rather they were curious about him, blinking at him as if they'd never seen an Alpha before.

 

“Derek Hale, long time no see.” a warm voice came from the porch, snapping Derek's attention there.

“Sheriff Stilinski!”

John chuckled coming down the stairs to greet him with a warm hug. “How are you, kiddo? You took your sweet time coming back to us.”

“I-… I don’t understand?”

“Don’t worry, you'll be told everything eventually but first food. Stiles called early this morning and said you'd arrive in time for a late lunch so we’ve got everything prepared for one helluva party.” John babbled while not so discreetly steering the Hale towards the house and inside where Derek was hit with the scent of _welcome_ and _home_ and _pack_.

 

The kitchen was absolutely humongous, clearly designed with a big family in mind, the dining table was one long table with benches covered with sheep skins to sit on, there were two large cookers, two of the biggest fridges Derek had ever seen and there was food _everywhere_. “We’ve got everything from spicy chicken to ribs to potato salad to hamburgers, risotto, all kinds of grilled meat, eggs in varying forms, vegetables, lasagne, cold cuts, pasta salads and best of all, _bacon_!” The sheriff looked positively delightful at the prospect of all the yummy foods, something Stiles easily shot down with one comment.

“No bacon for you, old man. Don’t think I don’t know what the doctor said about your cholesterol.” he quipped, barely paying attention to how a few of the smaller children loudly chased Minx around the adults’ legs. “Let’s eat, everybody. I'm starving and I'm sure I'm not the only one.”

“Uhm, Stiles?” the older Stilinski cleared his throat, nodding in the direction of the awkward Hale… who still hadn’t quite stepped over the threshold but was unsurely peeking in. Stiles blinked at him but then clicked and chuckled. Absentmindedly he bent down and grabbed Minx by the scruff of her neck when she rushed by and calmly hefted her up on his shoulder where the kids couldn’t reach her. She settled down across both his shoulders with a relieved huff.

 

“So,” he said, easily getting everyone's attention after having pulled the awkward wolf into the kitchen. “As you’ve all noticed, I have company this time.” His smile softened when he turned to look at the Alpha. “This is Derek Hale, his family was the famous Hale-pack of Beacon Hills before the fire and now he's one of three remaining Hales.” he introduced him lowly. “As you all know he's the reason I haven't been home much but he's here now and we’re here to stay.” His smile widened slightly. “ _Derek_ is my _Alpha_.”

Derek swallowed hard, not sure what to reply with, but before he could as much as open his mouth one of the older men there offered him a warm smile… as he stepped closer and offered his neck easily. Whatever little Derek had managed to scrounge up to say completely slipped his mind as he stared comically at the vulnerable throat of the other man.

“I'm not your Alpha.” his mouth blurted before his brain could get a stab at censorship. “Where's your Alpha?”

“You’re the only Alpha here.” the other man grinned, flashing yellow eyes at him.

 

When stunned hazel green eyes turned to the others all he saw was electric blue and bright yellow. Not a single trace of red anywhere. “Why?” If his voice cracked he didn’t notice, or bother to care.

“Because,” a woman holding a gurgling baby in her arms smiled at him, her eyes still bright blue. “We trust Stiles and Stiles trusts you. He’s been honest with us from the get-go and when he let us join he said _you_ were his Alpha and you were the only Alpha he wanted for this pack.”

“He took us in when we had nowhere else to go, gave us a home, helped us and protected us and he always said he had learnt everything about how to be, and not to be, a real pack from you.” another woman piped up. “Those who tried to take over have been kicked out or left on their own when they didn’t succeed, but those who stayed did so because even though we had never met you, we knew you're a good leader… because _Stiles_ trusts you.”

 

“And it hardly hurt that I vouched for you too.” John chuckled, inching towards the plates. He knew feasts like these were rare and high cholesterol or not, he was going to try _everything_ and he was going to enjoy it. “My only child actually threatened me, you know? He told me I could either apply for a transfer here or he'd make sure I’d get sacked. Again. One way or another he was going to bring his old man with him and I can’t say I'm sorry about leaving Beacon Hills what with everything that’s going on there.” He winked at the speechless Hale. “So plunk your butt down at the head of the table and eat, your pack is celebrating your coming home.”

“My-…” Derek turned helplessly to the younger Stilinski but Stiles held his hands up in surrender.

“I'm your emissary, Sourwolf.” he grinned. “I've always been your emissary, you running off didn’t change that.”

 

Overwhelmed wasn’t anywhere near what Derek felt at that moment. He had expected a lot of things but this wasn’t even in the ballpark of what he'd imagined. He hadn’t expected a big house full of voices and laughter, he hadn’t expected John Stilinski or a big pack who had never met him before but who still accepted him as their Alpha just because of someone else's trust, of their belief in him. He hadn’t expected _home_ to mean _family_. A brand new start with the hard work already over with, all he had to do was get to know them and love them as his own… and not repeat any of his many mistakes. He had been a shit leader and made so many of them but this, this was a new start. He hadn’t expected this _miracle_ that he'd been handed so freely.

“I…” he rasped unsurely. “I think I need to sit down… for a while.”

“You heard the man. Let’s eat!”

“Dad!”

“But I'm hungry!”

 

The laughter that followed the theatrical whine washed over Derek and brought with it a flood of memories from way back, from when his own family had bickered over food, how children had played and people had talked and ran and hunted together. The voices from then overlapped with the voices now… and suddenly he felt… peace. This pack wasn’t a bunch of scared traumatised teenagers, it wasn’t constantly assaulted by one threat after another, they didn’t live with the fear of Hunters around every corner, this pack was stable like his own had been a long time ago. And Stiles had all brought them together, tested them, told them about Derek, surely as much of the good as the bad one could only hope, and he was right there, next to him… like he always had been.

“There’s a full moon tonight.” he murmured softly, again getting the attention of everybody in the room. He pressed out a smile that wasn’t half as forced as his usual ones, especially not when a woman he knew he'd get to know soon enough put a full plate down in front of her new Alpha with a smile. “I’d be honoured if you'd all run with me.”

A moment of stunned silence later and the other wolves loudly declared that it was their honour, that they'd be delighted to run with their leader, that they looked forward to it. A few small children howled in excitement.

“Hepp! Step away from the chicken wings, son, I'll need that energy for running.”

“ _Dad!_ ”

The laugher that purled forth from Derek then, was genuine.

 

-

 

Hours and hours later, with dawn just a hint at the horizon, Derek made his way through the large house, exhausted from running and _playing_ in the woods with the other wolves. It was a large pack with both born and bitten wolves, with human companions, children and mates, of which one was actually a witch, although she had laughed and called herself a hippy more than a witch. Maureen, the wife and mate of one of the older born wolves, had said they'd been running from Hunters, the last survivors of their pack, when they literally stumbled over Stiles in the forest not far from the house. He'd taken one look at them, seen their weary state and fear, and offered them shelter right then and there. He'd let them stay for as long as they wanted, to rest and put some weight back on, he'd healed them and given them warmth and he hadn’t asked for anything in return but some help with the garden when they felt strong enough. The couple had never left, it just hadn’t felt right and they hadn’t even noticed that they had accepted Stiles as pack until he had said they were more than welcome to stay permanently and they had looked at him as if the idea of leaving had been preposterous. Even when he told them about his mystery Alpha that he planned on bringing home, they hadn’t felt it was right to leave. And as a result Maureen had taken over the garden and tended to it with everything she had, making it flourish under her loving care. She didn’t have much magic, almost none if compared to Stiles, but she could make mountain ash circles and what few spells she knew she used for the care of the pack and to keep pests away from the flowerbeds. She and her mate had been the first to join the Stilinskis. They'd never looked back and Derek had a feeling he was going to choose her husband for his Second in Command since Stiles had chosen him as such while the Hale wasn’t there. He definitely trusted Stiles’ judgement.

 

After that there had been the family with three small children. The mother had been bitten by a rogue wolf and she hadn’t had much control. Desperate to protect his family her husband had taken them far away from their old life, not knowing where to go or whom to turn to when suddenly this young man had reached out to them in the middle of a grocery store. He had known what his wife was just from looking. He'd brought them back to the house, introduced them to his father and the wolf living with them and they'd been taken in. His wife had learned control so quickly after that and now it was as if she had been born a wolf. Their youngest, a little boy no older than a few months, was a wolf, and maybe Derek could eventually consider giving the father the Bite too?

 

As more and more people had joined the small pack they'd grown stronger, they patrolled their territory and while Derek still had no grasp on it he was going out tomorrow with some of his new Betas, and wasn’t that a mindboggling thought, to run around the border and learn it. Just from tonight’s run he knew it was a large territory with healthy land and clean lakes. He couldn’t wait! There had been a few attempts at coup d'état by wolves who had been welcomed into the pack of course, thinking they could take over if they were sneaky enough or strong enough to do it by force. They had all learnt that this particular pack, although temporarily without an Alpha, was not for the taking by anyone. Without Derek there Stiles was in charge and those who had a problem with that could take it up with him. A few of them had… those who had had left very quickly afterwards. Not always in good shape either. Stiles Stilinski had pulled no punches where that subject was concerned, no punches whatsoever and he always made sure to aim where it hurt. He had no interest in traitors and agitators and rebels were simply thrown out.

 

It wasn’t really surprising that the pack tried to keep their heads down where rumours were concerned. They didn’t want to start gossip about the Alpha-less pack with the large territory, especially since Stiles had taken Derek's history to heart and worked hard to keep Hunters off their backs, but it hadn’t stopped the occasional Omega from showing up, asking if they could join. Granted, while everybody was welcomed with open arms, newcomers were always supervised and tested until proven loyal, truly loyal. Not to mention, they had to pass John's meticulous background check too. John Stilinski had transferred from Beacon Hills Sheriff’s Department to this little town where he had coldly assumed he'd be back to being just another deputy, out on patrol and directing traffic… instead he'd ended up as sheriff again since the former one was going to retire and none of the other ones had wanted to take over the paperwork and deal with the bureaucracy. Considering he was more than used to it already John hadn’t minded at all… though there was the occasional muttering from the man that nothing _exciting_ ever happened in this town. He also suspected that Stiles may have pulled some strings somewhere in the whole ‘no one wants a promotion’-part of it all. Stiles could be, and was, a sneaky little shit when he put his mind to it.

 

Derek had talked to so many people, tried to talk to all of the pack-members at least a little tonight, between bouts of running and roughhousing with the pups and youngsters, but he knew he had time to get to know them all, all 20+ members of his pack. Feeling his heart pound against his ribs, because there were already pack bonds forming that he could _feel_ and they were already so _strong_ , he followed Stiles’ scent through the house to what turned out to be the master bedroom. The bed was huge… and occupied.

“Go take a shower.” Stiles murmured sleepily from between the sheets. “Then come to bed.”

“This is your room?” Derek smiled, stumbling a little on this way to the bed. The jeans he wore got tangled around his ankles when the younger man stretched out in bed, much like a content cat in a patch of sunlight.

“Nope, this is the first time I've slept in here.” the Stilinski yawned. “I've used a different room before.”

Unable to stop himself, Derek bent down to press a soft kiss to impossibly soft lips. “Give it to someone else.” he murmured. “You’re staying in this one.”

“I was hoping you'd say that.” Stiles smiled without bothering to open his eyes. “Go take that shower and come back so we can cuddle. I missed you.”

 

“Will do.” Derek indulged himself in another kiss but then went to the bathroom. He was nearly floored when he closed the door behind him and flicked on the light. The bathtub easily fit two and the shower… Derek groaned out loud at the shower and he wasn’t ashamed to admit that he stood in there for way too long. The large rain showerhead had definitely been picked with two in mind and the cascading hot water nearly had him whimpering in pleasure. He didn’t want to get out!

 

He did get out eventually, when he started to prune, quickly brushed his teeth, donned a pair of clean boxers to sleep in and pussyfooted out to the bed. Stiles had gone back to sleep but stirred when the Alpha, still warm from the shower, slid in between the sheets. He stuck to the Hale like a hug-happy octopus the second the wolf was horizontal.

“Mmm…” He nuzzled Derek's left pec happily and smiled dopily.

Some parts of Stiles really hadn’t changed much at all, had they? The Alpha was surprisingly pleased by that, comforted, that no matter what Stiles Stilinski went through, he'd always be a bit of a spaz underneath the surface. A spaz so very enamoured by Derek's _everything_. Though it did wonders for Derek's ego. He grinned, pulling the brunet closer, nuzzled his hair to scent the man, drew a deep sigh… and joined him in slumber.

 

-

 

6 Months Later…

 

-

 

“You’re spoiling him rotten, Jamie.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.” Stiles grinned at the little boy smiling happily at him while the Stilinski pulled the beanie further down over small sensitive ears… before he raced ahead, off the porch to where the Alpha was seriously outnumbered in a snowball fight/wrestling match with the other children. Derek was laughing out loud and growling playfully while the kids ganged up on him, going for his knees when he stood and for his sides and belly when they got him on his knees. He didn’t stand a chance really but he wasn’t really trying either. He could rip them all off in a heartbeat if only he wanted to. As it was Derek certainly had no intentions of winning, no, he was quite satisfied with being jumped and tackled by children while they did their best in trying to get snow inside his thick jacket, trousers and in his face.

 

A warm feeling filled Stiles’ chest where he stood, watching his lover, mate and Alpha, so carefree and joyous. Derek deserved all the happiness he could get and even now, half a year after he had come home he was so scared of losing it all. He had patrolled the territory daily the first 2 months and it was only when Ted, his Second and Maureen's mate, had decided to join him, _every night_ , that Derek agreed to delegate the patrolling a bit. A few weeks later he went out once a week or so to see that everything was in order himself. And he had been so eager to learn, to get to know them, to share what he knew and teach. The pack adored him and the children especially so. He had relaxed a lot since then but he was still very protective of them all and when the Alphas did eventually show up, they hadn’t counted on just how protective the Hale was. That had been yet another anticlimactic fight. At least it served its purpose, the pack was safe and most critters reconsidered before coming after the new and stable Hale-pack. Derek preened every time he heard that.

 

“Stiles, there's someone at the door asking for you.”

“Alright, be right there.” Stiles murmured, taking one last glance at the absolute chaos going on in the backyard. Even a few of the adults had joined in on the fun and suddenly it was everyone for themselves. The Stilinski wasn’t surprised at all to see that the Alpha excelled at the stealth and aim needed to get in one bull’s eye after another on his opponents. Gosh how he loved the man and the way he showed his childish quirks.

“So,” he turned to the open door with a little smile. “What can I do-…” The smile abruptly slid off. “-for you, Alpha McCall?” he asked calmly, very pointedly not stepping aside to let the other in.

 

“Stiles.” Scott said lowly. “Can we come in?”

“That’s not a decision for me to make, Alpha McCall.” Stiles answered politely. “Do you wish for me to ask my Alpha?”

“Just let us in, Stilinski.” Jackson growled, making a move for the door… only to freeze in place at the sound of low warning growls. The McCalls were surrounded, subtly but still surrounded. And outnumbered.

“I suggest you keep your Beta on a short leash, Alpha.” Stiles drawled. “Else you'll leave here one Beta short.”

 

10 minutes later the visiting pack had all been shuffled into the large living room, under scrutiny by the Hales, much to their dismay. John did smile at Melissa, happy to see her again but he wasn’t stupid enough to start talking to her or the others when Derek, Ted and Stiles were all silent. He knew how these things went now.

“Alpha McCall,” Derek finally nodded. “What can I do for you?”

“We lost our territory.” came the low answer. “A pack thrice as large as ours came to Beacon Hills and threatened to kill us all if we didn’t leave.” He swallowed hard. “We fought them but they're strong and they aimed for our human members, targeting our weakest links to show us they meant business. They ran us out and we have nowhere else to go.” He swallowed hard. “We’re seeking shelter.”

“For how long?”

“Actually… we were hoping you'd let us stay here.” Scott winced. “Share your territory with us?”

Hazel green eyes narrowed then, zeroing in on the younger Alpha and eyeing him suspiciously. “I think I'll have to discuss that with my Second and Emissary, Alpha McCall.” Derek finally replied after several moments of silence. “Also, John, please join us.”

 

Once the four men had retreated to the office where they knew they couldn’t be overheard, leaving Scott and his pack in the living room, Lydia finally piped up.

“How rude. No offers of drinks or anything.” she muttered, looking insulted.

Maureen though merely smiled in response. “We do offer guests both hot and cold beverages, Ms…?”

“Martin.”

“Ms Martin. You however, at the moment, aren’t considered guests. If my Alpha tells me you are in fact guests, then I assure you, I'll offer you anything you'd like to drink.”

 

Lydia actually gaped at her, and she wasn’t the only one either.

Scott blinked at the older woman as if he'd never seen one before. “Of course we’re guests!” he burst. “Stiles is my best friend and Derek used to be part of my pack!”

“Honey, whatever relationships you're basing your assumptions on, they're in the past.” another of the Hale-wolves tutted at him with a pitying look in her eyes. “Besides, don’t think we don’t know how you treated both our Alpha and our Emissary before they both left you. They’ve both been very honest about both your virtues and your shortcomings.”

“What do you know about us?” Reyes snarled from her perch on a loveseat, next to Boyd. “They probably haven't told you about how _they_ left _us_ when we needed them most and I bet they just waltzed in and took over an already established pack while we had to _fight_ to stick together.”

 

The Hales looked at her with pity and not much more. It only served to anger the blonde further but a low growl from Scott kept her quiet. He saw that there was more to this than what they showed him. The one who beat him to the question though, was Kira. Somehow she had managed to keep that sweet and innocent look in her eye, even despite all the hardships she had been through.

“Was Derek your Alpha’s Second?” she blinked curiously at Maureen, not seeing how the rest of the McCall-pack turned to the older woman as well.

“No, he wasn’t.” Maureen shrugged. “Emissary Stiles built this pack from nothing, starting with me and my mate and worked from there. We are all a pack because he brought us together and once he had brought Alpha Derek home, we finally had an Alpha again.”

“Most of us fled from our old territories because of pack-wars, many of us had even become Omegas, a lot of us fled from Hunters…” Several pairs of eyes glanced towards the Argents but no one made any effort to step closer. “Emissary Stiles took us in, gave us shelter and a new start. None of us would be here if it hadn’t been for him.”

“Stiles isn’t a wolf.”

“As a True Alpha and his former friend, you if anyone should know that nothing can stop him when he puts his mind to it, Alpha McCall.” Maureen checked her cuticles as if she was absentmindedly considering getting a manicure. “You wouldn’t have been here either if it hadn’t been for him, don’t you agree?”

“I got bit because of him.”

 

“No, you got bit because Peter Hale chose you to sink his teeth into instead of your company right next to you. You were simply the closest one, not specially chosen at all.” The Hale-wolves all looked at him as if he was retarded the logic was so simple. “You're the guy that refused to kill an old man when you had the chance, who managed to get innocents slaughtered by a certain scaly friend who was a weapon used for revenge by a sick boy, you're the one who kept your friend in the dark and therefore he ended up tortured by the same old man and you're the one who used someone who was only trying to help you, as a weapon, when he very specifically _begged_ you not to and you also made a deal with an evil Alpha instead of talking it through with your own pack which resulted in even more innocent deaths… and that’s just what, one year of high school? Shall we pick apart the rest too? And the years after that? Shall we mention how you trusted a neutral druid more than you trusted your best friend who loved you like a brother and who was supposed to be _your_ emissary? In what world is a magically immune banshee possibly a better choice than an actual emissary, hm? Tell me, Alpha McCall, how many of your own decisions, and the consequences of those decisions, do you blame on Stiles? Alpha Derek didn’t leave you for shits and giggles, he left you because he couldn’t trust you with anything any longer and Emissary Stiles left you because he was tired of being blamed in-between being called useless or being treated as garbage or just plain used.” The smile Maureen flashed them was saccharine. “Not all fun fun fun being in the spotlight when people see your flaws, is it?”

 

“He’s not all bad!” Allison snapped. “He did good things too!”

“Oh yes, it’s very admirable to be a pacifistic werewolf.” one of the men leaning against the wall snorted. “It’s _so_ commendable to let your Betas do all the killing so the True Alpha won’t get blood on his hands.” The wolf snorted again. “Grow up, brat. In this pack we do what's necessary to keep _the whole pack_ safe and our Alpha goes above and beyond to make that happen. He's the first one to get dirty when it has to be done because he cares more about lives than he does about a title that frankly only weakens you.”

“Derek isn’t a True Alpha.”

“No, he's a _real_ Alpha.”

 

The words hit Scott like a slap in the face because with them came memories from years earlier, when he hadn’t been strong enough, when he hadn’t had control and all of this had still been so terrifyingly new… and Stiles had told them that they needed a real Alpha, someone who wasn’t scared to do what had to be done. He swallowed the bitterness down though and remained silent. Angering Derek's pack wouldn’t exactly help him get permission to stay in Derek's territory. If anything, it would make the other Alpha chase him and his pack out faster. He looked up when the Alpha in question returned with his Second, Stiles and Stiles’ father.

 

“Well? Will you let us stay?” he asked hopefully. “We’d be allied of course and we’d stay in our part of the territory, whichever part you'd be willing to give us and-”

“Considering how things went last time we tried that tactic, I have no intentions whatsoever of sharing my territory with you.” Derek cut him off calmly. “There will be only one Alpha in this territory, me.”

“You’re running us out!?” the McCall burst in disbelief. “I thought you had changed, Derek!”

“I have, which is why you're still alive for bringing your entire pack to my threshold rather than sending a pack spokesperson as is correct.” came the dry answer. “Be happy I didn’t take your impulsive showing up as an act of war.”

“So that’s it?” Scott couldn’t hide the tinge of resentment in his voice this time. “You’re going to force us to leave when you know we have nowhere to go?”

“No, I'm offering your pack to merge with mine.” Derek replied without as much as a shrug. “You’ll submit to me and become one of my Betas. That’s the only offer you'll get.”

“But I'm an Alpha!”

“Yeah, you are. If you want to continue being one, there's the door. If you want to stay, you'll submit and answer to me, you and your pack. I have no interest whatsoever in fighting you whenever a threat comes to town, you can’t be trusted with making decisions with the pack in mind and I won’t put _my_ pack in danger just because of your ego. Submit to me or get lost.”

 

Pleading eyes turned to the younger Stilinski but were met with an expressionless face, hiding cold steel underneath. “Stiles? Talk to him! There’s got to be somethi-”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve talking to our Alpha’s mate and Emissary without permission, brat.” Ted growled lowly, eyes flashing in anger and his weren’t the only ones. “If you wish to address Emissary Stiles, _ask the Alpha for permission!_ ”

“You’re Derek's mate?” the McCall pressed out, clearly in shock over this umpteenth unexpected turn of events. “You and _Derek_?”

After a glance at Derek Stiles shrugged, looking bored. “I never questioned your choices in lover, Scott, not even when they tried to literally kill you, you have no place questioning my choices either. Besides, I'm not here as Derek's mate, I'm here as Derek's Emissary. So what's it gonna be?”

 

“You can’t be serious!” Isaac's baby blues may have worked on the couple before but that was a long time ago and neither of them batted as much as an eye at the puppy-look he gave them. If they weren’t impressed by Scott's act then they sure as hell weren’t impressed by Isaac's. “Scott is _our_ Alpha!”

“And that’s why it’s _your_ choice.” Derek shrugged. “I don’t want to share territory with another Alpha, allied or otherwise, and this pack will never have two Alphas. So either you become a part of my pack or you'll move on tomorrow and find a new territory of your own. It really is as easy as that. We won’t harm you, any of you, but we don’t want you here either if you decide not to become one of us.”

“We’ve had other packs here before, both good and bad, and we’ve come out stronger because we stick together.” John said lowly, getting everybody's attention. “This pack is strong and stable, we work well together and trust each other because we all worked hard to earn that trust. We've had Alphas here too and they left us alone, you wouldn’t have to ever fear for your safety again. But Scott, son, if you refuse to submit to Derek, we’ll have to ask you and your pack to leave. Two warring Alphas cause disharmony and you'd only serve to turn this territory into another Beacon Hills. And we all know that you and Derek don’t get along well at all.” He looked apologetically at the boy he had seen as his own for such a long time, nodding at the worried look from Melissa. “Derek is a good Alpha, he's changed a lot since you last saw him. Maybe you should give him a chance?”

 

“Can- can we get some time to discuss it?” Scott pressed out, having lost some colour. “Between me and my pack that is? It’s a-, it’s a really big decision to make.”

“Of course.” Derek nodded. “We’ll set up the guesthouse for you so you and yours can rest.”

“Now that that’s decided,” Maureen flashed Lydia a wide grin. “Would you like something to drink?”

 

-

 

What with them having _guests_ the Hale-wolves set up a large dinner that evening, inviting the McCall-pack to join them at the extended table. The much smaller pack sat in silence, in wonder, watching how the others interacted around them. Laughing and talking around the table, enjoying their meal immensely… especially John who once again jumped at the opportunity to fill his plate with a little bit of everything offered. Much to Stiles’ dismay.

Minx sunk her teeth into Jackson’s thigh when he nearly sat on her, the children bustled about as soon as they had finished eating, playing their games around the adults’ legs when they could. There was talk about celebrating holidays, about work, school, preparation of food, someone’s car, visits to the doctor because of sniffles, books and movies and patrol and birthdays. What they saw was one large family gathered around dinner.

 

And in the middle of it all were Stiles and Derek, smiling at each other, laughing with their pack-mates while eating and drinking. Stiles had brought this pack together, he had brought Derek in for them, he had told them about their Alpha in honest words about how he certainly could’ve been a better leader, how he had never been meant to become one to begin with but how he had tried so hard. These people knew about the fate of the Hales in Beacon Hills, they knew about everything that had happened years ago when Scott had been bitten and Lydia had been mauled, they knew about the Alpha pack, the Darach, about the nogitsune and everything that had happened after. They _knew_ … and still they had stayed. Granted, they were a bit wary around Allison and Chris, especially when the two Argents put their weapons away and the wolves smelled the wolfsbane, but while they kept an eye on them, not one had made any attempt to harm them. In fact, they were treated just as warmly as the rest of the McCall-pack. Melissa sat next to John, both of them talking and listening to Maureen and two other wolves, deep in a conversation about childcare, Danny was tap tap tapping away at a laptop, two teenagers hanging onto his every word as he did something on the machine and Boyd couldn’t help smiling at the toddler that peeked at this new big wolf from behind her mother’s hip, abruptly wolfing out in surprise when he flashed her yellow eyes.

 

Scott watched it all in silence, not really sure about anything anymore. He really had no idea what to do. He was an Alpha, a True Alpha at that, he had reached that status from sheer force of will and the desire to solve things peacefully, _he_ was an _Alpha_ , dammit!

He blinked when Kira squeezed his hand and offered him a soft smile.

“If you want to find your own territory, we’ll come with you, you know that. No one will blame you.” she murmured softly. “But if you want to stay here, no one will blame you for that either. Whatever you decide, Scott.”

“I don’t know.” he murmured back, squeezing her hand in return. “I really have no idea what to do.”

“Take your time, there's no rush.”

He only nodded, going back to watching this big happy _family_ that cared so much about each other, that had faced just as much as his own little one had done and still stuck together. And he watched his own pack interact with them, how they opened up and seemingly melded into the cracks of this larger pack, how they just-… fit right in, as if they were supposed to be there. He didn’t get any sleep at all that night.

 

-

 

Days later, at breakfast, Scott had finally come to a decision. He had gone over it in his mind over and over again, talked to his Betas, to his mom, to Kira, he had wondered and worried and even prayed for answers from anywhere he'd get them but the truth remained, in the end it all came down to him. He swallowed hard, walking up to Derek where he stood, sleepily sipping on coffee that Stiles had put in his hands with a kiss to his nose.

“Alpha Hale,” he croaked out, ignoring the silence that came after those two spoken words. They had lain off the formal titles not long after the McCalls had gotten there so that alone said that something was up.

 

Derek blinked at him, obviously still too sleepy to connect the dots this early in the morning. Scott felt the weight of several gazes on him, many of them from his own pack as he stepped closer to the older wolf. “I have been thinking, a lot, and you once taught me that pack comes first, even before the Alpha, and this is me putting my pack first.” He swallowed hard. “For the sake of them, for the sake of their safety and their futures, I take your name and submit to you.” He took a deep breath, somewhere at the back of his mind feeling absolutely terrified… and raised his chin to offer the other man his throat in submission. His wolf snarled at him, told him what he was doing was crazy… but Scott knew what he was doing was _right_. Derek and Stiles’ pack was large, strong and stable, they'd be safe here, protected, and that’s all that mattered. As long as his loved ones were safe, Scott could handle being a Beta because frankly speaking, he was simply too tired to go look for a new territory, too tired to fight for a patch of land when they could all have everything they'd ever need right there. And just maybe, he could salvage a friendship too.

 

Scott shuddered when he felt hot breath against his jugular. He felt so very vulnerable right then and there, then he felt fangs ghost against his skin… and his world spun without him for a second as everything he knew changed when they sunk in just enough to claim dominance. He was at the bottom of the ladder now but that was okay, it was for pack. And, a tiny voice whispered in his mind, barely heard over his wheezing breaths, now the decision-making wasn’t his responsibility anymore. There was some relief in that too, even if he felt an overwhelming sadness at his loss as Alpha right now. And confusion too, he was so lost right now.

“You’ll still have to prove that you're loyal to this pack.” Derek murmured a few minutes later. “We don’t accept anyone permanently that hasn’t proven themselves, but I doubt that'll be a problem. Welcome to the family, Scott.”

“Does that mean we can stay?” he pressed out, scared that it wasn’t enough.

“Yeah, you can stay.” Derek took a step back, offering the pale former Alpha a warm smile. “There’re a few vacant rooms in the house for you. The rest of you will have to stay in the guest house until we've built a wing or two.”

 

“We’ve been talking about building wings ever since we came home.” Stiles murmured into his tea. “About time we got to it, don’t you think?” His eyes sparkled when he looked at his mate. “We can move the master to one wing and leave our rooms to Ted and Maureen.”

“So we’re going to live here, in this house?” Lydia raised a well plucked eyebrow.

“You’d prefer to live in town?”

“I'm just saying that if you're going to expand, you might as well use someone who know what they're doing.” she sniffed haughtily. “Jackson is an excellent architect. Taking on this job would be a good start for his new firm here and I've already checked out employment for the rest of us in this area. Danny can easily move his security-business here, Mr Argent can set up shop and keep Hunters away and I'm sure the hospital would be delighted to hire Melissa and Isaac if they want to continue working… just to name a few.”

 

While the other wolves looked absolutely dumbshot, Derek and Stiles only grinned. Lydia certainly hadn’t changed much over the years, that much was obvious. Stiles scratched his cheek absentmindedly.

“I do have strings to pull that would make things easier.”

“And I do need more experienced deputies.” John chuckled from the table, aiming a casual glance in Jordan’s direction. The younger man grinned openly, looking forward to working with the older Stilinski again.

As the two packs, now one, got excited about the new editions and started talking about plans and the future, Kira walked up to her mate and rested her chin on Scott's shoulder, holding his hand as they looked out over the backyard and the snow that fell.

 

“I'm proud of you.” she murmured softly without looking away from the odd snowman wielding what looked to be a rake and a Frisbee of all things. “That cost you a lot but you still did it.”

“No,” Scott murmured right back, rubbing his cheek against her temple. “That didn’t cost me at all. Leaving probably would have.”

“I'm still proud of you. Few Alphas would've paid that price.”

“Few Alphas are True Alphas.” came the low answer. “I didn’t kill anyone to become Alpha and between red eyes and a safe pack, I'll always choose a safe pack.”

“This is a new start for you as much as us, Scott. Derek was your brother before, Stiles was your brother long before you got bit, you can get that back.”

“Yeah…” He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, turning away from the view to instead watch Lydia and Jackson bicker with two other wolves, who apparently worked in the architectural business as well and had just as many opinions, much to Derek's and Stiles’ delight. Chris was in the middle of talking to John about opening a gun range, Boyd had helped himself to Lydia's iPad to see what she had found about this new town that they now lived in, Erica leaning comfortably against him, Danny was already making calls, Isaac and Melissa discussing with Maureen about the hospital and job opportunities. Allison and Liam were half-asleep on the table and Jordan was reading the newspaper while mostly ignoring the loud noise in the huge kitchen. No one would've been able to tell that days ago some of these people hadn’t been welcome here.

 

“So…” Stiles calmly sipped his coffee, watching the spectacle before him, Derek in the middle of trying to keep up in four different conversations. He sure had learnt how to both find and use his words since he had come home. “You’re finally the Robin to my Batman, huh?” He didn’t look at the McCall next to him, instead opting to watch his beloved. He always watched his beloved.

“You could’ve asked him to let us stay anyways.” Scott said lowly. Kira had left them to have their conversation in private, as private as it got in a house full of werewolves. Not that anyone was paying them any attention in the cacophony taking place but still.

“I'm the reason you were allowed to stay at all, Scott.” came the calm answer to that. “Ted wanted to run you out and Derek was leaning towards helping you find a new territory. It was my idea to offer you to stay if you submitted. I don’t want two Alphas any more than they do.”

“We could’ve gotten along, Stiles.”

“Yeah, because that worked so well last time.” the Stilinski snorted. “He changed and you changed but I don’t doubt that you two would still argue over every single issue that came up if you were an Alpha. And we don’t want that constant tension in this pack.” He side eyed the other for a moment. “Neither do we want to give you hard-earned territory for free. We have no reason to do that and history is history, water long since under the bridge and all that, though I give you kudos for coming to us in the first place. That must've been hard for you.”

“You both left my pack.”

 

“No, Scott, Derek left because he had nothing to stay for and I left because you made damn clear that your opinions and decisions were more important and valid than mine. That’s not the kind of leader I want to follow.”

“And Derek is?”

“Yeah, Derek is. Not just because he's my mate and life partner but because he doesn’t have an agenda of his own. All Derek wants is for the pack to be safe, regardless of his place in it. He would've been just as happy as a Beta here as he is as an Alpha and he works hard to always be better. He wants this pack to be as happy and stable and safe as the one he lost was, that’s one hell of a motive right there. What’s your excuse?”

 

When the McCall didn’t answer Stiles drew a deep breath and sighed. “Look, you might officially be part of this pack now but you and yours are still going to have to prove yourself to us, not just me and Derek but to all of us, that you really want to be here, be a Beta here. If you try anything, one strike and you're out, Scott, I want you to know that the next time a threat comes along, and sooner or later it will.” He turned to face his former friend and offered a tiny smile. “Voice your opinions, tell us what you think, if you see options that we don’t, say so, but in the end, what Derek, I and Ted says, goes. Remember that this pack has more experience being together than you have with us, we’ve fought together before and we fight differently than you're used to. Learn and grow, that’s all I ask. If in the end, you'd rather leave and be Alpha, no one is going to stop you.”

“It’s as easy as that, huh?”

“Hell, you became Alpha on your own once, you can do it again.”

Scott snorted. “You’re an idiot, Stiles.”

Stiles grinned back. “Maybe, but I'm a powerful idiot and the Emissary of this pack. And I've known you since we were in diapers.”

 

Stiles pointed his chin towards the farce of a meeting going on in front of them. “Look at them, Scott, the people you brought with you already feel at home here. They know they're safe and they know that if anything happens, there is a whole bunch of people ready to step up to help. We’re not just pack, we’re family and we live as such… Maureen nags my dad about his cholesterol as much as I do for crying out loud! And Jamie won’t eat his veggies unless he does too.” He glanced at the wolf from the corner of his eye. “And Derek doesn’t really give orders unless it’s really important, you know? His Betas are his brothers and sisters, his aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces. You'd just be another annoying little brother, not a lower ranked creature at the bottom of the barrel. That’s not how we work, if someone asks you to take the kids to school it'll be because they can’t and you do and because we help each other.”

“They’d trust me with their kids?”

“Why shouldn’t they?”

“I'm this new guy, an Alp-, a former Alpha, a new wolf.” came the unsure answer.

 

“So? Doing the school run is the least of your worries, dude. We’ll ask you to go shopping, pick up stuff on your way home from work, babysit, build the new wings, cook, clean, shovel snow, heck, we might even ask you to help with paperwork and pack business. But you'll never be the only one to do those things, like I said, we’re a family. We share all chores and responsibilities.”

“Lydia already checked out work and stuff for all of us.” Scott sighed heavily. “I suspect she knew all about it before we even got here.”

“Probably.” Stiles agreed. “We haven't got a vet in town… just so you know.”

“No?” the wolf perked at the discreet hint. “It’s a fairly big town.”

“Nope, no vet. We do need one though, a lot of pets and farm animals around here and I'm sure Kira wouldn’t mind if you opened your own clinic.” Stiles hummed. “And a new clinic would mean more business for Jackson and Lydia's new firm.” Having planted that seed Stiles left the McCall by the window and went up to his lover, wrapping his arms around Derek's middle.

 

Derek immediately turned around, losing the thread in the conversations he had been up in but not caring about it. Wrapping his arms around his lover he leaned down to inhale the scent from his favourite spot behind Stiles’ ear.

“I'm too tired for all of these heavy discussions.” he whined lowly, earning a warm chuckle from his mate. “Let’s go back to bed and come down later, when Lydia has everything sorted and Ted has explained more about the town and our territory and neighbours.”

“Sneaking from your responsibilities, Alpha?” Stiles grinned into a strong shoulder.

“No, prioritising. I'm putting you first and right now all my instincts tell me that you want to go to bed and cuddle with your mate, even perhaps take a nap. That’s important, alone time is important, the Alpha’s mate is very important.”

“Is that so?” The Stilinski grinned openly now. “Alright, I'll let you hide behind me, but only this time, and only because I know you're in for a world of stress and pressure later.”

“Thank you.” Derek pressed out on another whine, steering the younger man towards the stairway.

 

“Where are you two going?” Lydia snapped just before they reached the threshold out of the kitchen.

Before they could answer though, one of the little ones piped up from the table, still more focused on breakfast bacon than the mess around him. “They’re going to bump uglies.”

Allison, who had been sitting right next to the boy, actually crashed right off the bench while Liam choked on tea and started coughing violently.

“Sylvester!” one of the Betas pressed out, aiming the call to the ceiling rather than a person in the room. “You’ve been teaching Sammy slang again!”

“Whoopee!” Sammy cheered happily, now that he had everybody's attention. “Boink boink, unf unf!”

A crash followed, first from the stairs and then from the backdoor, as the teen in question abandoned ship and made damn sure to get the hell out of dodge before Sammy's mother caught him. Again.

Derek though, he only laughed out loud. It was just another regular day at home.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed reading this little fic of mine. If you so wish, you can follow me on [tumblr](http://nekoliule.tumblr.com/) where I mainly reblog TW-stuff, fan art and a little bit of this and that. Comments are love, tell me what you think!


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